PETA Asks Tim Burton To Change The End Of Dumbo

Tim Burton’s only justbeen announced as the director of a new ‘live-action’ version ofDisney classic ‘Dumbo’, but already he’s been asked to change the ending.

PETA, the animal rights group, has asked the ‘Batman’ helmsman if he wouldn’t mind giving the titular elephant with the big ears a happier life at the movie’s conclusion.

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The group’s senior vice president Lisa Lange has sent an open letter to Burton, detailing what they’d like changed.

“Greetings from PETA’s Animals in Film and Television Division,” it reads.

“We understand that you’ll be directing Dumbo, and if Alice in Wonderland, Frankenweenie, and Corpse Bride are any indication, the artistry of the computer-generated imagery in this remake is in good hands.

“The reaction to last week’s announcement that Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus will retire the elephants used in its shows makes it clear that there is a better understanding of and respect for these sensitive, intelligent, and complex animals.

“We love the original Dumbo because it tells the story of the heartbreaking abuse that elephants in circuses endure, and we hope you will keep this storyline in the new film. A bullhook is a sharp metal weapon used in circuses to control elephants — and it’s the same tool used by elephant trainers in film and television.

“And just like in the circus, elephants used in film and television don’t perform because they want to. They perform because they’re afraid that they’ll be beaten if they don’t.

“We’re hopeful that in your adaptation of Dumbo, the young elephant and his mother can have a truly happy ending by living out their lives at a sanctuary instead of continuing to be imprisoned and abused in the entertainment industry.”

There’s little more information yet on Burton’s plans for the movie, making PETA’s request perhaps a little quick off the mark.

Ehren Kruger, who penned the ‘Transfomers’ movies, will be writing the script, with the action on-screen being a mix of CGI and live-action.

Check out an interview with Burton around his last movie ‘Big Eyes’ below…

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Image credit: Rex Features/PA